Major league roundup: Jays’ bats come alive, outslug Tampa Bay

TORONTO — Devon Travis had a career-high four hits, including the go-ahead single in the seventh inning, and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-5 on Monday night.

Edwin Encarnacion hit his 299th career home run as the Blue Jays snapped a three-game losing streak against the Rays.

Toronto's Josh Donaldson drops to one knee after being backed off by a pitch in the fourth inning of Monday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays in Toronto. Associated Press/Fred Thornhill, Canadian Press

Encarnacion and Jose Bautista both had three RBI as Toronto scored more than four runs for the first time since a 9-1 win over Baltimore on July 30.

Joaquin Benoit (2-1) worked one inning for the win. Roberto Osuna gave up Logan Forsythe’s homer in the ninth but finished for his 25th save.

Rays lefty Xavier Cedeno (3-4) was replaced after walking the first two batters in the seventh. Dylan Floro came on and walked pinch-hitter Russell Martin to load the bases but got pinch-hitter Justin Smoak to bounce back to the mound, with Michael Saunders forced at home. Saunders took out catcher Bobby Wilson as he slid in, preventing what might have been an inning-ending double play. Travis followed with an RBI single and Bautista hit a two-run double.

Rays right-hander Jake Odorizzi came in riding a streak of 202/3 scoreless innings but couldn’t extend it. Travis tripled on Odorizzi’s second pitch of the game and scored when Bautista followed with a first-pitch sacrifice fly.

Encarnacion doubled the lead with a two-out homer, his 31st. It was Toronto’s 17th straight solo home run.

Mikie Mahtook and Steve Souza Jr. tied it with RBI doubles in the fourth but the Blue Jays regained the lead on Encarnacion’s two-out, two-run single in the bottom half.

TWINS 3, ASTROS 1: Tyler Duffey pitched six effective innings and host Minnesota took advantage of two misplays by center fielder Carlos Gomez in a three-run fifth that sent the Twins past Houston.

Gomez, the former Twins outfielder, let Jorge Polanco’s single skip by him for a two-base error that allowed one run to score. Then he lost a fly ball off Juan Centeno’s bat, turning it into an RBI triple.

Danny Santana followed with a run-scoring single, and Minnesota won for the seventh time in nine games.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

CARDINALS 5, REDS 4: Yadier Molina started and ended a five-run rally in the ninth inning as St. Louis stunned Cincinnati at home.

Molina singled to start the inning and was hit by a pitch from Ross Ohlendorf with the bases loaded to drive home the winning run. In between, Matt Carpenter drove in two runs with a single and Brandon Moss tied it when he walked with the bases loaded.

BRAVES 4, BREWERS 3: Matt Kemp scored from third after Keon Broxton dropped Gordon Beckham’s fly ball to center field in the 12th inning, and Atlanta won at Milwaukee.

With the bases loaded and nobody out, Broxton dropped a drive to deep center. An error was given to Broxton, but Beckham was awarded a sacrifice fly and an RBI.

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